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1.6L-1.8L 16v - FVA FVC
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1.6L-1.8L 16v - FVA FVC
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Reinforced Cometic MLS head gasket for the Ford Cosworth FVA and FVC engines, in an 87 or 88 mm bore.
The Cosworth FVA, of 1.6 litres, and FVC, of 1.8 litres, are competition engines with four valves per cylinder.
No original gasket part number is published for these engines. The engine takes one cylinder head gasket, sized for the standard combustion pressure; when that pressure climbs, the clamping force eases, the head lifts slightly and coolant seeps into a cylinder.
Sealing does not rest on the gasket alone but also on the fasteners that press the head onto the block. Beyond 100 N/mm², a composite gasket compresses for good; the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets takes 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and recovers its shape at every combustion. Also look at the head bolts or studs and replace any that have stretched or show signs of damage.
This page brings together 34 Cometic part numbers, from the American maker of competition gaskets, in MLS construction, multi-layer steel: 17 C4138 part numbers with an 87 mm bore and 17 C4135 part numbers with an 88 mm bore, from 0.69 to 3.56 mm thick. The engine takes only one gasket: order a single part number.
| Gasket bore | Thickness | Gasket volume | Gasket type OEM not specified | Brand | Part number |
| 87 mm | 0.69 mm | 4.10 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-027 |
| 87 mm | 0.76 mm | 4.52 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-030 |
| 87 mm | 0.91 mm | 5.41 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-036 |
| 87 mm | 1.02 mm | 6.06 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-040 |
| 87 mm | 1.14 mm | 6.78 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-045 |
| 87 mm | 1.30 mm | 7.73 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-051 |
| 87 mm | 1.42 mm | 8.44 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-056 |
| 87 mm | 1.52 mm | 9.04 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-060 |
| 87 mm | 1.68 mm | 9.99 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-066 |
| 87 mm | 1.78 mm | 10.58 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-070 |
| 87 mm | 1.91 mm | 11.35 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-075 |
| 87 mm | 2.03 mm | 12.07 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-080 |
| 87 mm | 2.18 mm | 12.96 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-086 |
| 87 mm | 2.34 mm | 13.91 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-092 |
| 87 mm | 2.49 mm | 14.80 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-098 |
| 87 mm | 3.05 mm | 18.13 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-120 |
| 87 mm | 3.56 mm | 21.16 | MLS | Cometic | C4138-140 |
| 88 mm | 0.69 mm | 4.20 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-027 |
| 88 mm | 0.76 mm | 4.62 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-030 |
| 88 mm | 0.91 mm | 5.53 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-036 |
| 88 mm | 1.02 mm | 6.20 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-040 |
| 88 mm | 1.14 mm | 6.93 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-045 |
| 88 mm | 1.30 mm | 7.91 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-051 |
| 88 mm | 1.42 mm | 8.64 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-056 |
| 88 mm | 1.52 mm | 9.24 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-060 |
| 88 mm | 1.68 mm | 10.22 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-066 |
| 88 mm | 1.78 mm | 10.83 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-070 |
| 88 mm | 1.91 mm | 11.62 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-075 |
| 88 mm | 2.03 mm | 12.35 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-080 |
| 88 mm | 2.18 mm | 13.26 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-086 |
| 88 mm | 2.34 mm | 14.23 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-092 |
| 88 mm | 2.49 mm | 15.14 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-098 |
| 88 mm | 3.05 mm | 18.55 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-120 |
| 88 mm | 3.56 mm | 21.65 | MLS | Cometic | C4135-140 |
A gasket's volume is the free space it leaves above each cylinder; it adds to the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio. At equal thickness, the 88 mm part number leaves slightly more volume than the 87 mm one: compare two part numbers of the same bore.
| Fasteners | Engines | Tightening torque |
| Original cylinder head bolts | FVA, FVC | not published by the manufacturer |
Before reassembly, check the flatness of the head and block mating faces with a straightedge and have them resurfaced if needed. Cometic gaskets arrive already coated: do not apply any sealing paste. At reassembly, check both faces for flatness with a straightedge and degrease them with care.
 | Cometic MLS Several stainless steel sheets, stamped and riveted together. Each outer sheet carries active beads tracing the outline of every cylinder and fluid passage. A moderate clamping load is enough to seal, and the bore distorts very little. This versatile gasket suits anything from a tuned naturally aspirated engine to light boost. All 34 of these part numbers are offered in this construction. |
Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS is offered here in 87 mm (C4138) and in 88 mm (C4135).
Thickness. No original gasket thickness is published for these engines. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.
| Your goal | Thickness to choose |
| Keep the original compression ratio | Original thickness not documented: take a measurement of the removed gasket, then choose the offered value that comes closest |
| Skimmed cylinder head, make up the lost height | The offered value closest to the measurement taken on the removed gasket, plus the thickness taken off by any machining of the head or block |
| Forced induction build, lower the ratio | A thickness greater than that of the removed gasket |
| Naturally aspirated build, raise the ratio | A thickness lower than that of the removed gasket, with 0.69 mm as the floor |
For a gasket thinner than the original, first measure with a dial gauge how far the pistons rise out of the block at top dead centre: that figure gives the space left under the head.
 | Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American company founded in 1989 and based in Concord, Ohio, which designs and builds gaskets and sealing parts for engines. It earned its name with made-to-measure gaskets, cut to the bore and thickness required, all made in the United States from American materials. Its part numbers for these Cosworth engines are offered here in 87 mm and in 88 mm. |
| Criterion | Original gasket not published | Reinforced gaskets |
| Construction | Construction not stated by the manufacturer | Multi-layer stainless steel (MLS) |
| Gasket bore | not published | 87 mm (C4138) and 88 mm (C4135) |
| Thicknesses available | not published by the manufacturer | 0.69 to 3.56 mm (17 values per bore) |
| Compression ratio adjustment | None | Through the thickness chosen |
| Resistance to overpressure | Limited to standard output | Designed for forced induction |
| Model | Engine code | Power | Years |
OEM part number: not published.
Important: the part numbers on this page suit only the Cosworth FVA and FVC engines: check your engine code before ordering.
When the original gasket is no longer enough, the reinforced gasket replaces it: under higher combustion pressure it keeps its shape instead of collapsing. For these competition engines, it is the answer as soon as the engine is built beyond its original configuration.
Whether you add a turbo, raise the compression ratio or rev higher with livelier cams, the cylinder head gasket becomes the weak link of a high-output engine. A reinforced gasket prevents the leak and the head removal that goes with it, far costlier than the gasket. On a competition engine, the reinforced gasket matters as soon as the compression ratio or the output goes up.
